Al Qaeda Affiliate Claims Killing 50 Russian Wagner Fighters, 10 Malian Soldiers in Ambush

An affiliate of Al Qaeda, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), said it killed 50 Russian Wagner mercenaries and 10 Malian soldiers in an ambush north of Mali’s Kidal region near the Algerian border. This information was made known by the SITE Intelligence Group, a global counterterrorism threat intelligence organisation.

The attack took place last Saturday, the same day a Tuareg rebel group also claimed to have inflicted significant casualties on Malian soldiers and Wagner mercenaries near the Algerian border after several days of fighting.

The casualties are a massive blow for Wagner, which has been helping Mali’s military junta fight Islamist insurgents since 2021. Although the Malian government says the Russian forces are not Wagner mercenaries but trainers, Wagner admitted in a rare statement that their fighters suffered heavy losses (including the death of its commander, Sergei Shevchenko) between July 22-27, near Tinzaouaten.

On Sunday, SITE quoted JNIM’s statement where it said its militants had managed to “ensnare a convoy of the Malian army and Wagner mercenaries in a complex ambush” in the southern part of Tinzaouaten.

The Malian army and Wagner faced a surprise attack after withdrawing from Tinzaouaten, which they had tried to capture from Tuareg-led separatists. According to Reuters, two security sources said both Tuareg rebels and JNIM attacked the convoy, but it is not clear if both groups coordinated the attack. Nevertheless, Mali has accused Tuareg and jihadist groups of working together.

In a statement made Monday, Mali’s army said it had begun a “stabilisation operation” on July 19 and launched an attack in the area on July 25. However, sandstorms hindered their efforts, allowing the attackers to regroup and leading to violent clashes and heavy losses, according to the army’s statement.

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